Tuesday, December 3, 2024
The Latest DUI News and Information From DUI Defense Attorneys Across the Country

Criminal Court Judge Provides First-aid For Crash Victim Set To Appear In Her Court

Steve ObermanReports from Albuquerque, New Mexico, tell of Judge Sheri Raphaelson stopping to aid crash victim Isaac Martinez.  On February 12, 2014 Mr. Martinez was on his way to Judge Raphaelson’s court for burglary charges, when the truck driven by his mother slid off the snowy road.  Judge Raphaelson, riding with her bailiff, saw the crash and stopped.[1] Raphaelson is trained as an emergency medical technician and mid-wife, and was able to keep Mr. Martinez calm until emergency personnel arrived on the scene.

One of the most moving elements of the story is that Judge Raphaelson sat for an hour holding Mr. Martinez’s hand while others who stopped held a tarp over them to keep the snow off.  Of those others present, at least three were also set to appear in Judge Raphaelson’s court.  She will likely recuse herself from hearing their cases, as her experience with the accused would affect her judgment.  Judge Raphaelson commented that if she could, she would make all their charges go away, after seeing their character revealed in responding to a man in need.

This story serves as a reminder of the unfair stigma that often comes with a criminal charge, whether innocent or guilty.  In that moment, it was no longer Judge and Defendants, but simply people stopping to help a man in need.  Judge Raphaelson was reminded that those accused are much more than just names on police reports, but real people who care about their fellow man.  Even for those found guilty, one mistake does not define the story of a life.

If you are charged with a DUI or other criminal offense, you should contact a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible after your arrest.

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[1] Mr. Oberman would like to thank University of Tennessee Law School student Timothy K. Jones for his assistance in researching and preparing this blog entry.

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Steve Oberman

Since graduating from the University of Tennessee Law School in 1980, Mr. Oberman has become established as a national authority on the intricacies of DUI defense law. Steve is a former Dean of the National College for DUI Defense, co-author of a national treatise ("Drunk Driving Defense" published by Aspen/Wolters-Kluwer), and author of "DUI: The Crime and Consequences in Tennessee" (published by Thomson-Reuters/West). He has taught thousands of lawyers, judges, and members of the general public about the intricacies of this crime. Steve was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach American Criminal Law and American Trial Advocacy at the University of Latvia School of Law in 2019; in 2023 taught for a semester as a visiting professor at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Faculty of Law in Budapest, Hungary; and as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Law in 2024. Steve has also presented at a number of judicial conferences in the United States and Canada as well as for law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Czech Republic Police Academy. As a Tennessee DUI attorney, Mr. Oberman has successfully defended over two thousand clients charged with Driving Under the Influence of alcohol and/or drugs. In 2006, Mr. Oberman became the first DUI lawyer in Tennessee to be recognized by the National College for DUI Defense as a Board Certified Specialist in the area of DUI Defense law.

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